The clouds aren't themselves today. Frowning, a bit dark, ready to rain on everyone’s parade. Still, she hangs her clothes on the line, hoping they’ll dry. Pat-pat-pit-pat! The tears begin.
She dashes into the red dirt to save her half-wet, half-dry clothes. In my mind, it’s a lost cause. Just leave them there. They’ll get wet yes, but I believe the sun will come out in its full force to make them sunshiny dry. But, I get why she does it. I would too. I just hope she doesn't slip while mindlessly running to salvage what she could of her clothes.
I think of yesterday and say to her, "It was so sunny yesterday, A perfect day for washing." As I reminisce on the day before, I can feel the loving warmth enveloping my body, the way the trees and vegetation lit up, the way the Earth smiles. To me, sunny days are perfect for washing or going to the beach/river. I especially love the sun in December, cool breeze, and bright days. Utopia by no means exists on Earth, but sunny cool days might be close to that absolute paradise. There's just this certain kind of magical look and feel.
With the rain now drumming on the roof, she walks in, water dripping from her skirt, a big bucket of clothes in her hand as I attend another work duty. I peeked at the sky and thought, 'won't you bring out your glorious sun like yesterday?" I really want that for her because dry clothes that smell like the sun would definitely make her day so she can go about her day. Errands to run, work to do, Saturday shopping, Sunday church, and Jamaicans have this thing about looking their best. Many of us are just that kind of clean, stylish people. We fi smell good, look good, wi fi well clean you know.
About half an hour later, she opens the door. The rain eased up. "Suh how it look?" I ask, still consumed by work, "Yuh can hang up yuh clothes dem?"
"Not like how mi wann it fi look. Sky bleaky bad, but mi nuh wann mi clothes fi frowsy."
"But it was so sunny yesterday. I mean yuh clothes dem wudda dry in no time," I was again transported to the sunny day yesterday. It was so good, so nice then a thought lick mi.
'That was yesterday. This is today,' and suddenly the bleak sky replaced the sunny one that was projected before me.
So, instead of lamenting about yesterday and telling her about the perfect sunny day she missed, I state instead, "You know what? Work wid the bleak day and get wha clothes you can dry."
"Yea mon, a dat mi a guh. Maybe the sun a guh come out likkle lata."
I could still feel yesterday's sunrays. Though I didn't reply to her latter statement, I feel it would. And if it does, I won't take it for granted like I did yesterday.
